20 36 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Brackloon Wood. Light-keepers' observations from the west coast are 

 nearly half of those from all sides of Ireland ; and the only September 

 arrivals recorded in Barrington's book (1900) are one from the north and 

 four from the west coast. Some of the earliest cock-shooting is stated 

 by Major Buttledge Phair to be in Achill ; and there is similar information 

 as to Connemara, the Aran Islands, and the Kerry promontories. In short, 

 the autumnal Woodcocks plainly arrive by the north of Donegal, and pass 

 quickly down the whole west coast before they spread inland. In hard 

 frosts they flee to the western shores and islands again ; and Black Bock 

 (Mayo), Slyne Head, Tearaght, and Skelligs, show such records. In 

 April departing birds have still been found on Inishowen, the far north 

 of Donegal, where some of the earliest are seen in autumn. 



Gallinago major (J. F. Good). Great Snipe. — Thompson gives a doubtful 

 record for Achill ; but a bird of the year was shot there, 24th September, 

 1888 ' ; and E. Williams received a female shot near Ballycloy, 13th 

 October, 1893. 2 



Gallinago coelestis (Frenzel.). Common Snipe.- — Besident on Clare Island, where 

 many breed ; but there is a great influx in October, November and Decem- 

 ber, and again in March (Hammond). There is similar information from 

 Achill and Westport, and Good (Westport) and H. W. Scroope (Ballina) 

 think more Snipe now breed in Mayo than formerly. Wallace remarks 

 that on the Mullet large wisps occur in late August, which leave in 

 September or October, as Thompson observed near Belfast. These are 

 probably bred in the country. The lighthouse observations are twice as 

 numerous from the north and west coasts as from the south and east, 

 and indicate that, like Woodcocks, the migrant Snipe arrive in the north 

 and pass down the west coasts. 



Galinago gallinula (Linn.). Jack Snipe. — Winter visitor to Clare Island, 

 Achill, the districts round Clew Bay, and is common in Mayo generally. 



Tringa maculata, Vieill. American Pectoral Sandpiper. — Has been twice 

 obtained at Belmullet — in October, 1900, and in September, 1901. There 

 has been only one other occurrence in Ireland. 



Tringa alpina (Linn.). Dunlin. — Besident on A chill, and probably throughout 

 our districts. Foster found the eggs up Clew Bay, where several pairs 



1 Field, 6th and 10th October, 1888. - Zoologist, 1893, p. 434. 



